Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

This course provides an overview of behavioral economics. Behavioral economics incorporates descriptively accurate assumptions about cognitive ability, social interaction, moral motivation, and emotional responses into economic modeling and explores the implications of this for human behavior and economic outcomes. These assumptions are often motivated by empirical findings in psychology, sociology and related disciplines, as well as the field of experimental economics. Behavioral economics seeks to generate theoretical insights, make more accurate predictions of field phenomena, and suggest welfare improving policies.

Main topics:

Behavioral decision theory.

Time inconsistency and self-control.

Social preferences and fairness.

Learning outcome

Knowledge
You should

become familiar with the most important contributions to behavioral economics,

be able to critically assess the importance of these findings for the understanding of economic behavior

in particular, be able to discuss the following problem: How descriptively accurate assumptions about human behavior do we need for economic analysis?

Skills
You should

become familiar with the most important contributions to behavioral economics,

be able to critically assess the importance of these findings for the understanding of economic behavior, in particular, be able to discuss the following problem: How descriptively accurate assumptions about human behavior do we need for economic analysis?

Competence
You should

be able to read and understand project reports and journal articles that make use of the concepts and methods that are introduced in the course

be able to make use of the course content in your own academic work, for example in analyses that are part of the master’s thesis